Meilan Solly

Meilan Solly

 

Meilan Solly is Smithsonian magazine's senior associate digital editor, history.

President Amin at Buvuma Island, October 1971

Thousands of Newly Unearthed Photographs Document Ugandans’ Life Under Idi Amin

Around 150 of the images are now on view at the Uganda Museum in Kampala

Modified skulls (seen on the left in each box) versus unmodified skulls

Ancient Chinese Graves Reveal Evidence of Early Skull Reshaping

Humans may have compressed infants’ soft heads with their hands, bound them between boards or wrapped them tightly in cloth

I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.

Not Even Chemicals Can Stop the Indomitable Cockroach

A new study suggests it will soon be “almost impossible” to control the insects with chemicals alone

These "before" (May 31, 2018) and "after" (June 19, 2019) images illustrate the Indian city's dire water shortage

Satellite Images Reveal the Extent of Chennai’s Water Shortage

Poor management, groundwater overuse and climate change-driven weather shifts are among the factors driving the crisis

Giambattista Tiepolo, "Perseus and Andromeda," ca. 1730–31

The Frick Revives 18th-Century Frescoes Destroyed During World War II

A new exhibition unites preparatory paintings, drawings and photographs of Tiepolo’s Palazzo Archinto frescoes

The little fox that could

A Young Arctic Fox Traveled From Norway to Canada in 76 Days

The animal trekked an average of 28 miles per day, covering a distance of 2,175 miles during her journey from Spitsbergen to Ellesmere Island

The ruins of the Grey family's ancestral seat, Bradgate House

Is This the Childhood Home of Lady Jane Grey, England’s Nine-Day Queen?

Stone structures unearthed below the brick ruins of Bradgate House may date to the Tudor period

A Summer Hailstorm Buried the Mexican City of Guadalajara Under Ice

The weekend storm was unusually severe, with drifting caused by a combination of hail and flash flooding

The coffinfish can inflate its body volume by up to 30 percent upon inhaling a significant quantity of water

Coffinfish Can Hold Their Breath for Up to Four Minutes on the Ocean Floor

This evolutionary adaptation may help the deep-sea dwellers conserve energy or defend against predators

Maurice Sendak, "Diorama of Moishe scrim and flower proscenium (Where the Wild Things Are)," 1979-1983, watercolor, pen and ink, and graphite pencil on laminated paperboard.

See Maurice Sendak’s Little-Known Designs for the Opera and Ballet

A new exhibition at the Morgan Library & Museum explores how the 'Where the Wild Things Are' author pivoted to a career in set and costume design

Dragonfly will explore dozens of locations across the icy moon

NASA’s Dragonfly Mission Will Fly Through the Clouds of Titan, Saturn’s Biggest Moon

Over the course of its initial 2.7-year mission exploring Titan, the dual-quadcopter will fly a combined total of more than 108 miles

Hansel Mieth, photograph from “International Ladies’ Garment Workers: How a Great Union Works Inside and Out"

‘Life’ Magazine’s Earliest Women Photojournalists Step Into Spotlight

A new exhibition highlights images by Margaret Bourke-White, Marie Hansen, Martha Holmes, Lisa Larsen, Nina Leen and Hansel Mieth

Melanosomes linked with blue feathers are much longer than they are wide

Scientists Identify Blue Hues in Fossilized Bird Feathers for the First Time

A new study shows how the shapes of tiny pigment-carrying structures called melanosomes are associated with different colors

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres' "The Grand Odalisque" is one of eight works of art featured in the project

The Louvre Recruited Top Perfumers to Create Scents Inspired by Its Famous Works of Art

The fragrances evoke masterpieces including 'Venus de Milo,' 'The Winged Victory of Samothrace' and 'La Grande Odalisque'

A 14-inch goldfish caught downstream of a wastewater treatment plant in the Black Rock Canal of New York’s Niagara River

Giant Goldfish Shows Why You Should Never Flush Fish Down the Toilet

Invasive goldfish threaten the livelihood of native species, growing unchecked by predators and monopolizing habitats’ limited resources

Robert Friend photographed in 2016 in Los Angeles, California.

Robert Friend, Tuskegee Airman Who Flew in 142 Combat Missions, Dies at 99

The World War II veteran also led Project Blue Book, a classified Air Force investigation of unidentified flying objects, between 1958 and 1963

This summer, Fairbanks' Running Reindeer Ranch is offering visitors the chance to practice yoga alongside adult and baby reindeer

Alaska Now Offers Reindeer Yoga Classes

Attendees find their flow as reindeer wander around, grazing on grass, sniffing humans' belongings and eventually settling down for the session

L to R: The statue of St. George prior to 2018 restoration attempt, statue post-restoration, and statue following recent "unrestoration"

Statue of St. George Undergoes ‘Unrestoration’ to Salvage Botched Paint Job

A 2018 restoration attempt left the 16th-century statue looking like a cartoon character

Poachers’ Poison Kills 530 Endangered Vultures in Botswana

Circling vultures bring attention to poachers, so the scavengers were likely poisoned by illegal hunters hoping to evade detection

This geoglyph, previously identified as a hummingbird, actually depicts a hermit, a subgroup of hummingbird known to live in the forested regions of northern and eastern Peru

Scientists Identify Exotic Birds Depicted in Peru’s Mysterious Nazca Lines

The researchers argue that the non-native birds’ presence must be closely related to the etchings’ overall purpose

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